Six Years Later: Victory in Istanbul

You never, ever, ever get tired of watching that match. I remember the night - shite o'clock in the morning, so close to quitting it at half time. Then Stevie. Then Smicer. Then Alonso. Then the Dudek double save. And then finally, unbelievably, Stevie's lifting the Cup and the world turns red. That's when you know why you love this team so much.

That's why we will never lie down and let the likes of Hicks and Gillett bring it to ruin. Why we fight until we have a manager whose heart and soul is truly Liverpool. And why we have scary good crazy talent like Ed and Noel unhealthily devoted to bringing all of us who love Liverpool closer together.

And that's why, if you support Liverpool Football club, you'll never walk alone.

Truly an epic final. Pity that Saturday will undoubtedly be remember for Barca dives and Rooney petulance.

and thats why we are respected by all and admired by all unlike man-ure who havent been able to get any respect for 20+yrs for the way they went about winning. cheating and pressuring refs. 

Will be great to see when Man Ure stop winning trophies and see where all their so called supporters go to.

You know what?Before the game I was hoping that AC Milan won the final(I was just getting into football before, and still had no idea which team to support). I watched the whole first half, and then I thought it was over and went to bed. When I wake up everybody was talking bout how Liverpool won the game. Then I watched the highlights and suddenly Liverpool's love struck into my heart. The moment I learned all the Liverpool wonderful history(Shankly, Paisley etc), all of as sudden the hate for Man Utd arise, and I become a true Liverpool supporter till now and will be forever <3

I've been a football fan and a Liverpool fan for a little over a year.  I got chills the first time I watched these videos and I still do.  I can't imagine how you long-time fans felt living it.

Got the chills reading your comment

At the end of the storm there's a golden sky..

played at great pace, milan were in their prime.  Stevie's header was just fantastic.

If an english manager achieved what benitez did he would be approaching sainthood. 

So good to see KK turn things around with the media harping on about the mediocre players.

Here's a Gerrard compilation with Istanbul featured prominently.  Cool Gerrard highlights? Check.  Champions League glory? Check.  Shevchenko looking miserable after PKs? Check.  Techno version of the violin song from Platoon?  Oh you can bet your ass that's checked off.

Ah, the days when he would track back and tackle like a savage.  

I take it you couldn't find that one with Coldplay.

 I mean, this video is fairly awesome, but the one that played Fix You during the Istanbul part at the end was more epic, I feel.  It must have gotten taken off YouTube in the past year or two.  I spend entirely too much time on the internet watching Gerrard videos...

Gerrard videos eh? Here's a beauty I found a while back... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

i dearly dearly miss watching him take the game by the scruff of the neck.  the past few years have been sad to watch on the whole but also really with him, not that his passion died but you could tell it was hurting him badly.  you think we'll see a return to his best under the king?  that would be special

Well I think (when fit) Gerrard is still class, and more than capable of being a match winner.  There was the Hungary friendly in August, where Capello moved him from a holding position to his preferred attacking midfield role, which was what Capello should have done with him in the summer. Then there was of course the Napoli hat trick.  And while we're at it, there was that time in the World Cup where he made Ricardo Clark look stupid and gave England the lead over the US, which as an American with a large hetero man-crush on Gerrard was easily the most conflicted moment in my life, emotionally speaking.  After that though, he had to return to sitting deep with Fat Frank, and then Robert Green did his silly deed, but I digress.  All of this evidence seems to indicate he's still got it, in terms of making incisive runs in the box and finishing with class. He is older and more injury prone and should probably quit international play (but he won't of course).

This suggestion might strike some as odd, but I wonder, since Kenny favors Meireles in the "Gerrard role," if it might make sense to do with Gerrard what Roma did a couple years ago with Totti in their "strikerless 4-6-0" formation that was really just Totti as a "false nine," with Perrota/Taddei/Mancini/whomever running off of him.  Of course, Gerrard playing regularly up top would:
1. mean Suarez would permanently be relegated to a wing spot, though things would likely be fluid and Luis could cut in as much as his heart desires while Gerrard could drift out wide
2. perhaps limit Kuyt's playing time. 
3. be a total kick in the balls to Andy Carroll

This might just be an absurd idea of mine, but if Gerrard plays farther up, he can let his old legs rest, and be closer to the goal so he can do his thing and be heroic and stuff.  Moving him farther back as a holding mid doesn't seem to suit him as well, because he can get restless and emotional and try to do much.  There's always the chance that he humbles himself and becomes a really solid partner for Lucas back there.  He certainly respects Dalglish enough to, and has the skillset to succeed back there.  But that will mean we'll be missing on on the old Stevie heroics...

Still can't believe some of the players that were in that squad...Smicer, Traore, Baros....what a match. What a day. I will never forget it. YNWA

This is the game that changed everything for me. 

As an American, I am regularly asked, "Why Liverpool", my response, "Istanbul."  I had been a clubless footy devotee, but was content just watching the goals go in.  Today, six years later, what started out as "I like Liverpool, but I like football more" has evolved into "If its not Liverpool, it is NOT football."

Haha, almost the same case with me.  You know you've become a Liverpool fan, when the day comes that you can't really stand to watch Man United play, or any other team for that matter

 I hate it when people ask why Liverpool.  Isn't the answer obvious?

*wipes a tear* Beautiful.